


Love You Goodbye

by helloclarke



Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, more angst than i intended lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 22:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19733125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloclarke/pseuds/helloclarke
Summary: three times casey let izzie get away and one time izzie came back.





	Love You Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came into my head and wouldn't leave so i whipped it up in two days. sorry for any mistakes, grammar or otherwise. 
> 
> i know i tagged angst but it's still cute!!!   
> feel free to leave a comment i don't bite!
> 
> enjoy!

“Let’s forehead promise each other” 

Casey and Izzie forehead promised each other to be friends forever, to be each other's ride or die, to have each other's backs. Except, they both knew they were promising a lot more. Izzie was promising to put her trust in casey. Casey was promising to rely on Izzie. 

Junior year came and rumors started to grow. No one was sure if Nate and Izzie were still together and the jokes about best friends Izzie and Casey falling in love were countless. 

The two knew they had feelings for each other, but had decided it would be easier to stay with their boyfriends. 

“Casey, high school has been too hard for both of us already, we don't need kids calling us slurs and bullying us, too,” Izzie was right. She usually was. 

until Casey thought she wasn't. 

One night while studying, Casey had offered to officially dump Evan so her and Izzie could come out as a couple. So that they could finally face the consequences of their feelings. Izzie still didn't want to do that. 

They fought and they cried and they kissed each other goodbye. 

In the summer before senior year Izzie’s mom married her loser boyfriend and they moved away. They said goodbye again the day Izzie left town, just this time it felt a little more permanent. 

Finally, Casey graduated high school. She wasn't valedictorian or anything, she was just lucky she made it out alive. Her family was insufferable all day, taking too many pictures, saying “I love you” too many times, posting too much on facebook. (She wouldn't admit it, but Casey loved every second of it). 

Throughout the very long ceremony, all Casey could think about is how different high school could have been if she hadn't switched schools. If she hadn't met Nate and Izzie. Izzie. Casey thought about how much she missed her and how much fun they would be having today if they had kept their stupid forehead promise after sophomore year. 

Izzie would have insisted on doing Casey’s makeup for graduation, saying “Case, you have to at least put on some mascara” or “You cannot wear track clothes to graduation, Casey.”

Izzie would have included Sam in their celebrations, too. She would have made Casey take pictures of her with her “favorite Gardner”, who was always Sam. 

When Casey came back to reality, everyone was getting ready to stand up and throw their caps in the air. As Casey threw hers, a few tears slid down her cheeks.God, she missed Izzie. Graduating high school was amazing and she couldn't wait to leave, but this would have been so much better with Izzie by her side. 

\----

Casey got a track scholarship at Penn State and was having the time of her life. The competition was more fierce, meaning she actually had some. She was making friends with her teammates and going to parties and was loving the classes she was taking. 

Her sophomore year came around and she was just excited to get back. She loved seeing her family over the summer, but Casey loved being independent, too. 

A few days before school started the track team had a meeting to introduce the new kids and get back into shape for competition season. That's where Casey locked eyes with someone she hadn't seen since sophomore year of high school. 

Izzie. They made their way over to each other, had an awkward hug, and sat next to each other while their coaches talked about how exciting this year was going to be. Afterwards, the team had a social so everyone could get to know their new teammates. Although, Casey only wanted to talk to one new teammate in particular. 

Izzie said that her mom’s husband stole all of her college fund that her mom had been saving since she was born and that she did one year at the community college. Then she was offered a spot on the Penn State team. 

Casey caught Izzie up on Sam and how his penguin that he bought had a baby penguin. Casey said that her parents worked everything out and were happier than she ever saw them before. 

After the social, Casey showed Izzie around the campus, all the cool places to hang out, and the secret hiding places she went to calm herself down. Neither of them talked about high school. About how much they missed the other or about how they were almost a couple. It was like an unspoken rule that they weren't allowed to mention those topics. 

After Izzie’s first year at university, her mom’s husband took off without a word. Her mom’s addictions just got worse, so Izzie left Penn State to go take care of her little siblings while her mom spent time in rehab. 

Izzie jokingly offered for Casey to come with. “It’ll be like our own little family, Casey! Come on, don't you want to be my wife!” Casey loved spending the year with Izzie but the word “wife” scared her half to death. She wasn't ready for that. She loved Izzie, she knew she would always love Izzie, but she wasn't ready to be married, let alone have a family with Izzie. 

During the summer, Casey and Izzie said goodbye again. This one hurt more because it wasn't their choice to leave each other. Okay, Casey kind of had the choice to leave with Izzie, but it just wasn't logical. 

So they said goodbye for a second time, not knowing if they'd ever see each other again.

\----

College graduation came and all the same feelings came back, too. Her family was so proud and practically couldn't stop hugging her. Still, she kept thinking about Izzie. About how her mom was doing, and her siblings. She hoped Izzie was happy. 

When they called her name and was handed her diploma, Casey looked into the crowd to find her family. Not only did she find her family, but she found Izzie right next to them. her old best friend Izzie. the only person she's ever truly loved Izzie. 

After graduation they all met outside to take pictures, Izzie offering to take the family ones. when they were done celebrating (for the moment), Casey's family took the hint and let her and Izzie talk alone. 

Izzie said that Casey's parents invited her and that she wouldn't have missed this for the world. Izzie talked about how her three siblings were all in junior high or high school, and that she's really proud of them. 

Casey told her that she'd been offered assistant head coach for track at Clayton Prep and that she was excited but a little nervous to go back to their old school. 

As they left the college campus, they fell into old habits like holding hands while walking around town, and kisses on the cheek. As it got later, they talked about all the “what if's”. what if Izzie hadn't left Penn State. what if Casey had said yes when Izzie asked her to come live with her. what if they had actually been a real couple. 

At the end of the night, Izzie said that she was going to trade school to become an x-ray technician. She also confessed that the school was in Washington. All the way across the country, Washington. Izzie said that her mom was clean and taking care of herself and her siblings, so there wasn't any need for her to stick around. 

Casey wanted to give her a reason to stay. She wanted to ask her why she wasn't reason enough, even though she knew that wasn't totally fair, considering they haven't seen each other in years, or had even stayed in contact. 

They were practically experts at saying goodbye to each other by now, even though each goodbye felt more permanent than the last. This time they were going to be across the country from each other. They hugged and kissed and went their separate ways.

\-----

At age 33, Casey was the youngest head track coach Penn State had hired. This was the dream, Casey finally had her dream job. 

She was coming up with drills for her athletes when there was a knock on her door. 

Izzie was standing there explaining that Casey's parents gave her this address. Izzie said that she decided to move back East because after living in Washington for a few years, she realized that there was a reason to stick around. Izzie apologized that she couldn't see it sooner, but with everyone that she dated none of them compared to Casey. It has always been Casey. 

She talked about the time she almost got married to a guy she was dating at school because he got her pregnant. Izzie showed Casey the picture she had of six year old Max in her wallet. She said didn't end up getting married because she knew she wouldn't ever stop loving her. 

Izzie was talking at a million words a minute and all Casey could focus on was the fact that Izzie loved her. that Izzie had always loved her. That Izzie always always will love her. 

Before either of them could realize, Izzie was down on one knee, asking the same questions she'd jokingly asked a few years earlier. 

“I know I don't have a ring but, Casey, will you marry me? We'll have our own little family, Casey! Come on, don't you want to be my wife?” 

Casey said yes to all of it. 

fin.


End file.
